Summary:
Hesperia Unified has three middle schools—Hesperia Junior High, Ranchero Middle, and Cedar Middle—all serving grades 7–8, with 3,429 students combined. In 2025–2026, the schools’ average proficiency was 29% in English, 16% in math, and 18% in science, compared with California averages of 49%, 38%, and 36%. The central finding for families is that every school’s results remain well below the state average in all three subjects.
Ranchero Middle is the strongest overall on current results: it leads in English at 33% and math at 18%, and is just 2 percentage points behind the science leader. Its English score is 6 points above Cedar Middle, while its math score is 3 points higher. Cedar Middle leads science at 22%, 10 points above Hesperia Junior High. Hesperia Junior High is lowest in English and science; math results are close across the three schools, ranging from 14% to 18%.
Average results improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026: about 3 points in English, 2 in math, and 5 in science. The gains were uneven: Ranchero Middle improved in all three subjects, while Cedar Middle gained in science but declined in English and math. SchoolDigger’s latest statewide rankings also place Ranchero highest, at the 24th percentile, followed by Cedar at the 18th and Hesperia Junior High at the 11th. Context measures show different strengths: Ranchero has the highest chronic absenteeism, at 37% versus 28% at Cedar and 25% at Hesperia Junior High; reported free/reduced lunch eligible shares for 2024–2025 were 81% at Ranchero, 57% at Cedar, and 82% at Hesperia Junior High. These measures describe contrasts among schools, not explanations for their test results.
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